Pumping at Work - Supply

altow1310

Is anyone else who has returned to work recently not getting as much milk while pumping as they expected to? I've pumped twice so far today (first day back) and have only gotten 8.5-9 oz TOTAL. I'm so disappointed. LO is drinking about 5 oz per feeding, so I'm worried my pumping won't be able to keep up with him. I have been pretty stressed/upset about coming back, so that probably isn't helping, and I didn't drink much water yesterday. Hopefully it will get better. Luckily I only work in the office three days a week and am home the other days. I am just so scared I won't be able to continue with breastmilk only if I'm not able to pump what he needs. If you pump at work, did you get less than you expected at first? Did you eventually start seeing more?

klirwin82

Pumping at work is the worst. My supply definitely started dropping as soon as I was away from baby. Maybe it won't be so bad for you if you're only there 3 days/week. I think what's compounded the problem is his getting bottles all day while I'm gone, so even though we're still using Newborn nipples he gets pissed about the slower flow and slow letdown during nursing. I'd make sure to nurse frequently when you're with LO to "recharge" supply.

My LO is now 6 months and I'm hanging onto breastfeeding by taking a ton of supplements. Stay extra hydrated. Eat oatmeal for breakfast. I've also found red Powerade, specifically, works better than other Gatorade flavors but maybe that's in my head. After a lot of trial & error what seems to work for me is 3 blessed thistle caps 3xday, same for fenugreek, plus 2 more milk plus 3xday plus 2 Brewers yeast 3xday. Obviously that number of pills sucks but I'm not ready to give up BFing yet.

And if you can, squeeze in another pumping session while you drive to work. Even if you just fed LO before you left. Those few extra oz count and it also is signaling your body to produce more.

Good luck.

SLGILL1978

I was the worst pumper regardless. I was lucky to get even .5-1 ounces when I pumped. I had to start supplementing when I went back to work. 
*When you pump at work, try looking at pictures of your little one. It's supposed to help as well. 

wintersong

Or videos!

You can also try looking into massage to help your breasts expel more milk. I think it might be called hands on pumping. They have tutorials on YouTube.

ETA I meant videos of lo!

mcb0110

My supply dropped as well! I like to send her with 20 oz to daycare (she hardly ever eats that much, it's more for my piece of mind), and when I pump I only get about 8 oz total since going back to work after Christmas. Prior to Christmas I was getting about 10 oz total per pump. I'm a teacher and had 2 weeks off for break. It was wonderful breastfeeding on demand! I think my LO likes to eat lots of little meals and trained my breasts to produce smaller amounts, but more often. I'm now pumping twice at school and 3 times between when I get home and when I leave the following morning just to survive. I drink mother's milk tea and drink a red Powerade or red Gatorade (something with red) to help. Days I drink tons of water I get more! I also find when I'm not thinking about how much I'm producing I get more... I just have to remind myself not to stress, my baby girl will get enough food. Hang in there!!! It's so worth it!

runnindownthedream

With DD I had a drop initially when I returned to work, but it picked up again after I settled into a routine. Something that helped me was grabbing a lightweight blanket she had slept with and taking it to work. When I pumped, I would hold it and think of her. Weird? Yeah. But it got me through the adjustment period and helped me to keep going. Keep strong mama!

mommyloni

Yes to everything already mentioned!  Mother's Milk Tea definitely helps, oatmeal for breakfast every morning.  Brewer's yeasy,   For water, take your weight divided by 2, and that's how many ounces you need to drink each day.  And DON'T STRESS!  Adrenaline blocks the flow of milk, so try to meditate a moment before you pump, think about LO and just relax before you start pumping.  And definitely pump after each feeding,  it will send the signal that you need more milk, and those ounces add up.  Lactation consultant told me as long as milk is from the same day, you can put it in the same bottle.  So if you nurse in the morning before work, pump an ounce after, you can add that to what you pump at work, and then repeat when you get home.

CalebsHabibi

Red Gatorade? Never heard of that one! Any reason why?

Nickioch

CalebsHabibi said:

Red Gatorade? Never heard of that one! Any reason why?

I don't think the color matters haha i think it's the electrolytes! I get the clear kind since all those coloring a and the chemicals used to create them are so horrible!